Numerous prior network link management problem diagnosis methods and devices exist in the field. These generally are designed in a manner specific to the particular physical devices that make up the data communication links. In telephone systems in general, loop back signals may be transmitted from a controlling node to the various elements making up the communication link to a target node, and signals may be propagated down the communication link to be looped back by devices in the line which are operating correctly and which can respond to the loop back commands to the control node. Such processes are, however, totally inappropriate when the data communication network devices operate under differing protocols, are supplied by different vendors and have differing diagnostic data providing capabilities.
More sophisticated techniques for problem diagnosis are also in existence where the data communication network contains devices supplied by the vendors of the host data node or control node systems. For example, the IBM Corporation markets components for a data communications system including host system mainframe computers, operator control consoles and communication network control program applications that can communicate with and diagnose problems occurring in a data communication network that includes IBM supplied modems, multiplexers, switches and the like. However, these systems share a common system architecture and communication protocol and are thus amenable to a single diagnostic application program and protocol. They avoid the difficulty encountered as mentioned above, with numerous protocols in numerous physical devices supplied by diverse vendors. Such uniform systems are, however, not often achieved and in many networks constructed by users and purchasers of various components, such uniformity cannot be brought about without major reinvestment.
In the prior art, the recovery process is usually a manual process which is disruptive to the end user. Recovery techniques have required the network operator to manually intervene and circumvent network link problems by switching to back-up components or by using alternate paths through the network with the high overhead costs associated with re-establishing communications between network resources.
Thus, the major problem the users and the purchasers are faced with is that of achieving high availability of these multiple layer, multiple vendor, multiple protocol networks. Once a failure occurs, it takes time for the operator to react to the problem, the end user usually being the first to notice the problem. Once it is determined that a problem does exist, problem determination must be performed to determine which recovery procedure provides the fastest restoration service to the end user.
It is therefore desirable that some method and system apparatus be provided that is capable of accommodating the more usually encountered data communication networks which are constructed of multiple layers of various vendors' physical devices having diverse capabilities and communication protocols.